Wichita eagle., 1887-08-06
ENGLISH FUNERALS.
SIGNS OF WOE ACCORDING TO
THE PREVAILING CUSTOMS.

! Directly the breath leaves the body the
window blinds, usually inside Venetian shut
tiers, are pulled down, the window Of the
room where the death occurred being left
slightly open, however, from the top to per.
init the spirit to take its celestial flight.
This latter is an old superstition, very
poetic one. In the country the house door
is left ajar on the day of the funeral until
after the mourners' return. Because they
say, "to shut the door would be tc shut GU.
the corpse. To leave it open is to show q
welcome to the spirits return" In the
country, notably in Hampshire and Somer-
setshire, the usual shroud of the simpler
village folk is composed of white cotton wad-
ding, shaped about the body dressed in ordin.
airy undergarments The coffin is borne on
the shoulders of friends to the cemetery. the
other mourners following on foot to the grave.
Naturally such customs are impracticable
in like London. Only intimate friends,
but not the more immediate family, accom-.
pany the body to its burial place The leave
taking of the family is private. Other friends
assemble in the drawing rooms. There is no
service until reaching the chapel in the GENE
terry, where one takes place, if at all, as sup
Elementary to final one at the grave itself.
Only when the deceased has been a great
public man is there service in the church hs
attended in life, or in st. Paul's, the Abbey,
or other noted sacred editice This service is
called a mourning function. Memorial ser.
vices, on the other hand, for noted man or
woman may occur simultaneously in MANY
churches.
There are no Grape streamers on the door
knocker or bell handle, as in Philadelphia or
other cities in America. The blinds are down,
the knocker muffied, and frequently straw is
placed in the street for half block to deaden
the sound Of vehicles. 1t is also an unwritten
courtesy of the neighbors to draw their blinds
on the day of the death and on that of the
funeral. Thus we know that the king Of
Terrors" holds his grim, dumb court within
the house with drawn blinds and muffled
knocker
Even during the last four years changes in
funeral costums have taken place Some
people still rigidly keep to the old ways
Therefore, if we should not at first be sure Of
death, the presence on the doorsteps of two
lugubrious persons would prove il These,
relieved with other two at certain intervals
stand one on each side the door to weep until
the period shall be ended between the death
and the removal to the cemetery. These paid
mourners are "mutes." Their business is to
weep, and they perform it faithfully In
solemn black garments, hands in black
gloves, broad streamers of Grape, called
"weepers," about their hats, they ply hand
kerchiefs to their eyes, black bordered and
gloomy. When there are no passers by they
discuss the local politics or their own affairs.
Directly some one heaves in sight up go the
handkercbiefs. The ends of their noses are
suspiciously red. One feels that gin is the
cause of such perpetual flow of salt water
from their weak, reddish eyes, 1t is, despite
the solemn cause of their employment, ex-
ceedingiy droll. They look like pen and ink
sketches, and their marionet woe is CHASTITY in
its grotesqueness Strange that this custom
of the early Romans should have survived
until the nineteenth century. Many Of the
Roman rites have fingered on these isles of
Great Britain, once SO extensively used as
Roman encampments "The funeral baked
meats" of sacred as well as of profane history
these are still prepared. Poor, indeed, the
London family which fails to have banquet
provided on the funeral day for thu assem-
bled friends.
So widespread is the horror concerning be-
ing buried alive that bodies are kept here
longer than in America. 1t is regarded as
barbarous to keep the body less than a week,
and ten days is more frequently the time OF
course in cases of contagious disease the au-
thorities enforce speedy and private burial
Perhaps the humid atmosphere is not con-
ducive to modification. Certain it is that
less ice is used here, if used at all, than in
America on these melancholy occasions.
The funeral flowers are even more extrav-
<lxy,, fho, Sv,
white flowers, but all the delicate hued bios
SONS pertaining to the season. Besides nat
ural flowers quantities of a species Of ever
lasting white pinks are used. These flowers
come from Africa and are called Cape
flowers" also wrath flowers" They resem-
BILE in shape double carnation pink, and are
graceful, ghost like blossoms. They are re-
garded as lucky emblems, messages from the
spirits, and are rather a joyous garniture than
other wise, since they are symbolic Of hope
Another floral extravaganza is in the form of
compostion-China flowers made up into
wreaths, crosses, anchors. etc, which are pre-
served under raised glass cases. and placed on
the mound in the cemetery. This mound is
raised up squarely like a low bed, with
headstone or monu ment at the head Of the
same
The funeral hearse is either open at the
sides and ends or it is closed in quite dark.
During the last year or two few hearse
have made their appearance with glass Sides
These are called american funeral car
riages," but are not popular. The hearse i.
ornamented with huge waving plumes of
coal black. The horses are jet black and
have tails sweeping nearly to the ground.
They also have long, full names which the
passing breeze during their slow, measured
stepping blows lightly about The largest
and handsomeSt horses are devoted to funeral
travel, both for hearses and mourners' car.
riages, and livery men there are who keep
nothing else in readiness. These horses have
to be broken and trained as laboriously as
though for ring riding in a circus. Their
drivers sit very high up with black velvet
pail across their throne like perches. Their
Grape weepers flow down their backs from
one TO two yards from their hats. The
horses heads are decorated with nodding
plumeS. The ''mutes" walk behind the hearse
London Cor. Philadelphia Record
There Is q good deal or talk of rife shoot
ing at movable targets these days. Most
people imagine that in order 10 hit anything
with rifle man must have solid rest and
take long aim. Such is not the fact The
best rifle shots at game seldom take a rest,
except at long distances. After little prac-
tice it is as easy to hit a slowly moving OBJ |
ject with rife as still one. The secret Of |
all shooting is to get your gun in the right |
place and then let her go in fash. 1t is |
quite as easy TO kill running rabbit with
rife as with shotgun, but so few persons |
have tried it that It is not widely known. |
There are several gentlemen in this city who
are experts with the rife, but not good |
hunters. They shoot altogether at targets
lincoln fNeh Democrat